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This past May, Chris and i went back to Kenya, stopping in Holland for a few days on the way (we also spent one night in Toronto, before we left)... We stayed in Nairobi, for about 2 weeks, and really had a blast. We went back to Mombasa, we drove 5 hours to go to the Masai Mara, and really just took advantage of our vacation time (that, and the fact that it's rainy season sometimes limited our day's activities). We took MANY pictures, 10 rolls to be exact, so i've just put up the better pictures. Enjoy!
First stop, Toronto. We decided, that while we were there, we'd take in a Blue Jays game! (we won, yay)
outdoor urinals, that's right!
For some reason we don't have that many pictures of our time in Holland, which is dissapointing, because we did have lots of fun! We were there for the queen's birthday (almost the equivalent of Canada day here) where it's party time for the locals.
Heineken Brewery
We took a trip to Mombasa, Kenya (which is out on the coast) just like we did last year. We flew from Nairobi to Mombasa airport, and then there's a one hour drive to the hotel we stayed at. Last time we went to Africa, a lot of my friends asked me what life was like there... now these pictures depict only a part of it, not the most wealthy part, but not the poorest either. These people live happy lives, go about life as normally as you and i (much simpler, but "normal" to them). Seeing these things in person, i have to say, is my favourite part of visiting Africa. It really makes you appreciate what you have. I took these pictures from the car, so they'll be a little blurry, but i thought it would be rude to be too obvious about things otherwise.
The resort/hotel we stayed at was beautiful. Right on the water, just down the street from the hotel we stayed at last year (which was under construction this time). The lobby had a giant pond, or fishtank for a floor, with huge koi swimming around. Also, in the middle, was a giant tree with a little sidewalk that went around it.
Emma, Chris' sister
Next up, we have our trip to the Masai Mara (or just "the Mara", as most locals call it). We drove 5 hours from Nairobi to the Mara, with a hired driver (Edouard), in a Rav 4. It's hard to explain to you how intense this car ride was, but esentially, i like to describe it as being in a paint can shaker for 5 hours!... the roads there (with the exeption of a few highways) aren't exactly as "well maintained" as they are in America. Pot-holes would be a definate understatement. It wasn't unusual to go off the road, onto little side roads that were being created because the main road was just in such bad condition. I don't think i'll ever complain about a bumpy road ever again- hahaha.
Edouard, our driver
zebra crossing
broken bridge along the way
heard of Masai cattle
We spent 3 days at the lodge. I put a little picture to show you what the Mara looks like. I'm sure you've heard of the Serengetti, well the Mara is an extention or it, but on the Kenyan side. The time of year we were there is the rainy season (not as rainy as you would think, really). It's also 2 weeks before the big migration of the wilderbeest (which i'm told is truly a sight to see), so we saw a few early-birds, but that's it. We saw quite a few young animals, also due to the mating cycle of a lot of the animals.
view from hotel out onto Mara
At the lodge, they have an "animal feeding" at 10 pm. VERY cool. It was (obviously) very dark, and therefore hard to take pictures. Unfortunately most of them didn't turn out. The lodge had a little balcony off the back of one of the buildings, with a big spot light. As 10 approached, you'd start seeing little eyes popping up on the edge of the trees/bushes. A big bucket of food scraps was brought out to a big pan in the middle of the clearing. Hyenas, mongooses, and jackals came to eat, and it really gave you the opportunity to see some of the nightlife you wouldn't usually get to see. Believe it or not, there were even a couple of wild house cats (not domesticated) that were in on the feeding, in there with the hyenas and everything!
We took 3 trips into the park: one afternoon on the day we got there, one morning trip the next day followed by another evening one that same day. The third day we drove home. We took a LOT of pictures in this part of the trip, so i've just put up some of the better ones, trying to show you how many animals we really got to see.
Thompson gazelle
wilderbeest
Hartebeest
Zebra
????
ostrich (male)
Hyena
Jackal
Giraffe (masai giraffe - endangered)
2 male lions
We saw this female cheetah with her 2 cubs on 2 seperate days, just lounging around. The cubs were playing around and harrassing mum, so she got up, stretched and walked over a couple feet and plopped back down. Fantastic moment of the trip.
Family/heard of elephants
male elephant (alone)
i places these 3 pictures together as closely as i could, but it really doesn't show how breathtaking this view really was. It's an overlook of the rift valley, overlooking the lake nakuru part (where some people say life began!). What's crazy, is that we actually drove over to the right (where you can't see in the picture) and drove all the way from the right side of the picture, way way past what you can see on the left side of the valley.
The last thing we did on our trip was to go to giraffe manor. We did it last year and enjoyed it so much, we HAD to go back. Here, you get to feed and touch the giraffes, and all donations go to the conservation of endangered species of giraffes. There's a hotel in the distance (very pricey), that celebrities are sadi to stay at!
We got our "kiss goodbyes" and left the next day :(
that's it! in a nutshell, that's what i did on my well-needed vacation, my trip of a lifetime. If you ever get the opportunity to go to Africa, do it- you won't regret it, it's truly a life-changing trip that i'd recommend to anyone who's ever been bitten by the travel bug.
